


The Waiting Game

by theron09



Category: Leverage, Marvel Avengers Movies Universe
Genre: Crossover, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-04
Updated: 2012-08-04
Packaged: 2017-11-13 13:36:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/504078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theron09/pseuds/theron09
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint’s reluctant to start anything serious with Quinn. Quinn convinces him otherwise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Waiting Game

**Title:** The Waiting Game  
 **Fandom(s):** Avengers/Leverage  
 **Pairing:** Clint/Quinn  
 **Rating:** PG-13  
 **Word Count:** 1832  
 **Summary:** Clint’s reluctant to start anything serious with Quinn. Quinn convinces him otherwise.  
 **A/N:** Written for Deep Cover at avengers_land

 

  
Clint watches from his vantage point as the man he is shadowing buys himself a drink. It’s a seemingly innocent action, just like everything else the guy has been doing tonight has been, and Clint wonders whether SHIELD have got it wrong this time, whether this man _is_ innocent or whether he’s biding his time before he makes his move. Either way, it’s giving Clint time to observe him, to work out where any weaknesses are so that he can exploit them later if he needs to.

“He’s not the guy SHIELD is looking for.”

It takes someone extremely skilled to be able to sneak up on Clint like that and he only knows of two people who have managed to do it. One of them is dead so it doesn’t take much to know, even without turning around, that it’s Quinn who is sitting next to him.

“It’s been a long time, Barton.” Quinn’s smirking, leg pressed against Clint’s under the table.

He ignores any niceties and gets straight to the point. “You’re the guy who stole the classified information?”

“Acquired.” Quinn grimaces, “Accidentally acquired, in fact. The guy who hired me didn’t tell me what I was stealing. When I realised what I had I, being the outstanding gentleman that I am, decided to return it.”

“You mean you’ve brought it to me so your name doesn’t end up on yet another wanted list?” Clint doesn’t blame him; being on SHIELDs wanted list is worse than most and, actually, he believes Quinn when he says he didn’t know what he’d taken. Quinn’s always avoided getting in SHIELDs way as much as possible.

Quinn shrugs and then looks Clint right in the eye, serious. “I brought it to you because I know I can trust you. You’ll do the right thing.”

It’s way, way more open than they ever usually are with each other and it surprises him. Needing a moment to think, he turns and looks back towards the mark, only to see an empty space. He curses, before remembering that it doesn’t matter anyway. He’s sitting with, having a conversation with the guy SHIELD are after, and there’s no way he’s taking Quinn in. Really, he might as well just relax and enjoy his drink.

“Have I upset you by insinuation that you’re noble?” There’s a mocking tone to Quinn’s voice, but it’s also fond, understanding.

Clint flips him off. “If you give me the document, I’ll get it back into SHIELD, make it look like it was there all along and some poor underling will get the blame and you’ll get off blameless.”

“You’re so kind to me.”

He shakes his head; the stupid thing is, despite Quinn’s teasing, he’s right. Clint is nice to him. “I don’t know why.”

“It’s probably because you secretly think I’m very handsome and harbour a crush on me.”

He snorts at that. “I wouldn’t do this for you because of a crush, believe me.”

Next to him, Quinn stills, then leans in slightly, suddenly serious. “So it’s more than a crush?”

And that’s…not the idea he’d meant to convey at all, but he can feel himself flushing because this is Quinn and Quinn’s always been able to get under his skin like no-one else can. “You think very highly of yourself,” he counters, trying to find a way out of this situation because they’ve always managed to keep things light before, a bit of a flirtation, a bit of helping each other out.

But this, this, feels too serious, too much like it’s about to become important and Clint doesn’t have room for that in his life right now, not with SHIELD and not with all the issues that anything between them would bring.

“I think very highly of you, too.”

Quinn’s pushing - Quinn’s always the one to push – and he’s not going to let Clint get out of this easily. Clint’s not quite sure how to react to it, because Quinn is probably the one person he can’t predict and he doesn’t know how to stop this from escalating. He wonders how a simple retrieval has turned into this.

“Clint?” His name is said softly, less pushy now, more understanding and that’s the thing, Quinn _gets_ him and that’s why this has been inevitable since the first moment they met, completely by chance, both stuck in a prison they’d had to help each other get out of.

“Are you going to give me the document?” He tries to sound professional but he’s not sure he’s pulled it off.

“I don’t have it with me.” Quinn slides out of his seat. “Nine tomorrow morning, down by the river, I’ll bring it then.”

Quinn’s gone before Clint can stop him, call him back and tell him to bring the document now and he _knows_ Quinn’s done this deliberately, set it up so that he’s going to simmer overnight, not have time to get his head straight before they meet again. And the thing is, it doesn’t annoy him.

It _impresses_ him, that Quinn’s read him so well, and it scares him because they’re meeting again tomorrow and he doesn’t know how he’s going to stop himself from jumping Quinn the moment he sees him, from kissing him and taking the plunge into something that has the potential to hurt both of them so, so badly.

The rest of the night, he suspects, won’t be enough time to come up with a way to stop himself.

~~

  
Even though it’s quarter to nine in the morning, it’s still quiet by the river where Clint is waiting. By now, he should be back at SHIELD with both the man he was trailing last night and the document; he hasn’t quite worked out how he’s going to explain the fact he has neither when he returns, but he knows he’s going to have to get rid of the document quickly, make sure it’s found practically straight away otherwise questions will be asked.

He’s standing with his back to the railing, making sure that there’s no way Quinn can sneak up on him this time, although he’s sure that the hitter will still find some way to surprise him. He usually does.

When Quinn arrives, he’s in no hurry, almost strolling towards him with a stupid grin on his face and a file in his hand.

“Is that it?”

“No.” Quinn shakes his head. “This is just something else, obviously.”

“Right, yeah, stupid question.” He holds out a hand. “Okay, give it here.”

“Trade you for it.”

“With what?” He regrets the question even before he’s finished it because he just _knows_ what Quinn is about to say.

“Kiss me.” A pause, and then, “It’s not like you don’t want to.”

And Clint does. He wants to kiss him and he wants them to go back to his hotel and he wants more with Quinn but he can’t let himself have it. No matter how much he wants to. He grabs the file from Quinn before the hitter has a chance to react.

“Maybe next time, Quinn.”

As Clint heads towards his car, he resolutely does not think about how it gets harder to walk away every time.  


~~

  
Clint’s been back at SHIELD’s HQ for two days – two days where he’s been distracting himself with sparring and target practice and even paperwork, anything to distract him from Quinn – when he starts to hear mutterings about a possible new agent. Some guy, one of the other agents tells him, broke into Fury’s office and offered his services to SHIELD, brazen as anything. Clint’s heart sinks when he hears the story for the first time because he knows it’s Quinn without needing to see him or get a name. By the third time someone mentions it to him, he’s angry. Angry at Quinn for bringing this thing into his work, angry at Fury for taking Quinn on –because it’s been confirmed, now – and angry at himself for not seeing it coming.

It’s not until Fury calls him to his office that Clint realises he’s still, despite everything, looking forward to seeing Quinn again. And that’s when he knows he’s really screwed.

And then it gets worse. Because he walks into Fury’s office and Quinn’s there, smiling at him, and Fury’s saying something and Clint’s only half-listening until he actually hears Fury’s instructions and someone, somewhere, must be laughing at him because Fury wants him to show Quinn the ropes.

He doesn’t say a word as he shows Quinn towards his quarters. Lets the anger simmer as Quinn tries to make conversation. Ignores greetings from his fellow agents because if he opens his mouth to speak he won’t be able to stop talking again and this is something he needs to say in private.

As soon as they’re inside Quinn’s new room with the door safely closed, he turns and pushes Quinn up against said door. “You’ve gone too far with this.”

“Look, Barton-”

“No, shut up and listen a minute. This is where I work, those people out there are my team. You can’t mess around with that.”

“You think that’s what this is?” Quinn reaches up to grasp at Clint’s wrists, not trying to push him away, just resting his hands there. “Because it isn’t. I would never, _ever_ have come here to mock you or to play games.”

There’s a sincerity in Quinn’s tone that Clint hasn’t heard often and it makes him loosen his hold slightly. “Then why are you here?”

“I’m here because SHIELD is what stopped you from kissing me two days ago. I’m here because if I’m here, if I’m a part of SHIELD too, then I have the same obligations as you. We’re even.” Quinn pauses for a moment and then inches ever so closer towards Clint. “I’m here because me being here means you can kiss me and not feel guilty for it.”

“Oh.” If he takes the time to think about it, Clint knows that what Quinn’s just said is pretty significant. As it is, he doesn’t think, just surges forwards and locks his lips over Quinn’s, kissing him for the first time. _Finally_ kissing him.

They don’t pull apart for quite a while. It’s been a long wait.  



End file.
